The Life of Stephen
by Trainmaster97
Summary: What happened to Stephen before the events of "King of the Railway". This story tells the life of Stephen. From when he was built, to his arrival on Sodor. Written by me and D.J. Scales.
1. Chapter 1

**After watching King of the Railway a few times, I began to wonder what it would be like if we had a story about Stephen's life. So here it is, written by me with some help from D.J. Scales. **

The Birth of a Legend

**May 1829**

It was a cold and wet morning at the Forth Street Works in Newcastle Upon Tyne. It had rained the previous night and the ground was sopping wet. The clouds showed no sign of retreating, meaning no warm sun to brighten up the day.

Meanwhile a man wearing a black suit and coat was walking down the nearby sidewalk. He had his head down and a few papers tucked under his arm. He walked up to the entrance to the works and walked inside.

The many people inside walked around getting work done, but this did not bother the man. He walked past the working men and passed through a door into a smaller office place. The few people inside were too busy writing and passing papers back and forth to notice the man.

Then the man came to a door on the other side of the room. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a key, unlocked the door, and walked inside.

He walked into an office, where a big wooden desk with many papers, ink bottles, and crumpled up papers lay. He put the papers he had under his arm on the desk and sat down on a large chair behind it.

He began looking over the papers he had brought, which were notes describing steam power and traction. He spread the papers out and looked at each one individually.

"This design has to work. We've come too far for it to fail" said the man. But then he heard a knock on his door. "Come in" he said leaning back in the chair. A man poked his head through the door.

"Excuse me Mr. Stephenson, your son is here to see you" said the man. "Yes alright, send him in" said George.

The man walked away, and a few minutes later, another man in a grey suit walked into the office. "Morning father" said the man. "Hello Robert" said George.

Robert sat down on a chair that was in front of his father's desk. "So, how is progress" asked Robert. "Going very well, in fact it's almost done" said George "It may be finished in the next few hours". "Well that's what we need. If we want to win the competition at Rainhill, then we need to get it completed as fast as we can so we can test it" said George.

But then, the man from before walked in. "Excuse me sirs, but I've gotten word from the workshop. They saw it's nearly done" he said excitedly. The two men immediately stood up. "Excellent news, let's go see its completion" said Robert. "Indeed" said George. So the two men walked out of the office, through the smaller office space, and into the workshop.

They walked passed men hammering steal and pounding rivets. But the two men could only think about their newest work being finished.

Then, they reached a small corner of the shop, where six men were busily working on a strange looking machine.

It had four wheels, two pistons, a smokestack, whistle, and a tender. Its boiler was painted yellow and its smoke box was painted black. It sat on rails that ran out of the shop to a test loop.

George and Robert walked up to their locomotive. "It's nearly done sir. The last part is its nameplate" said a man, holding onto a large black and gold nameplate reading 'Rocket'. "And it's we all agree that you two should be the ones to put it on" said another workman.

"Well, I agree" said Robert. "So do I" said George. So Robert took the nameplate and placed it on the engines boiler. Then George took a hammer and bashed the rivets into the holes in the plate. Then, he pounded the last rivet into place.

But then, all the men who were looking at the side of the engine heard a voice. "OOOAAAHHH" said the voice. It sounded like it was yawning. "Who said that" asked George looking around. "Me" said the voice sleepily.

George and Robert noticed that the voice was coming from the front of their engine, which no one was looking at. The two men walked up to the front of their engine. But when they did, they nearly fell back in surprise.

There, on the front of their engine, was a face. It was young, and it also looked sleepy. Like when you wake someone up from a long sleep and they're all tired.

George and Robert didn't know what to say. They had only seen machines with faces at certain mines and on some steam wagons. But never before had they seen one on a steam locomotive.

George slowly walked up to the face. "Uh, hello there" he said cautiously. The face looked at them. "Oh Hello, I'm guessing you're the ones who woke me up" he said looking at the men standing near him. "Well, yes. Sorry about that. We just finished building you" said Robert, who had walked up to the face.

"Oh, I see. Well it's nice to meet you. Who are you two" the face asked. "My name is Robert Stephenson, and this is my father George Stephenson" said Robert. "Well hello Robert and George" said the face.

But then, George spoke up. "I just thought of something, you don't have a name do you" he said. "What are you talking about, we agreed to call it Rocket" said Robert. "Yes, but that was before "IT" got that" said George, jerking his head towards the face on their engine.

"Well, if it must have a proper name, then shouldn't it be named after its creators" said a workman. George and Robert thought about this for a minute. "Well we both built it, so it has to be something that relates to us" said George. "Something that we have in common" said Robert. The two men spoke to each other for a moment, then they turned to the engine.

"We have talked, and we think we have a name for you" said George. "Really, what is it" asked the face. Robert smiled "Stephen" he said happily.

The engine pondered for a moment, and said the name over and over again silently. "Ya, I like it" he said a minute later. "Alright then, Stephen it shall be" said George.

"Does that mean we have to make a new nameplate" asked a workman. "No. Stephen may have a proper name, but he's still the Rocket. Leave it, as a reminder of his speed" said George.

"Oh, how fast can I go" asked Stephen. "We don't know yet, we have to test you" said a workman.

"That's right" said Robert "But I think since it's too wet and cold out today, we'll hold off on the testing until it dries up". Stephen's face fell a little "Oh, okay then. I guess I can wait" he said sadly.

George decided to try to cheer him up. "But that's a good thing. If we want you run you at your top performance, then we need good conditions. We also need time to check your parts and make calculations. This will be important when you're facing the competition" he said smiling.

Stephen went from sad to confused. "Competition, what competition" he asked. "That's right" said Robert "we haven't told you. Well, the reason we built you is so you can participate in a competition at Rainhill."

"Why am I entering" asked Stephen. "Well" said George "the few railways today are run by horses. They pull carriages on rails so they won't veer off course. Then the Liverpool Railway board had the Ludacris idea to have rope pulling machines work the Liverpool line. I was strongly against that, I knew steam engines were the better idea. After a lot of arguing, they eventually decided to hold a contest to see which engine would perform the best, and run the new Liverpool Railway. The competition is in October at Rainhill. So far ten other competitors have entered. This means that you have to be at the top of your game to win this. Operation of a new line and 500 pounds are on the line. We've pull all of our locomotive experience into you. We know you will win the competition Stephen, we just know it" said George.

Stephen showed a confident smile "Don't worry; I'm shure I'll win. I want to show everyone that Rocket isn't just a name, it's a representation of my speed".

"That's the spirit" said Robert. "Now that you know what you're going to be competing in, we have to get some work done. Our men will make shure you're taken care of. Remember that we'll test run you tomorrow" said George. "Yes sir" said Stephen. So then George and Robert walked away.

That night, Stephen was still sitting in the small corner of the shop. The whole day, he had been thinking about his test run tomorrow. "The question is though, will I really be as fast as my name (Rocket) implies" he thought. He kept thinking about this, until he eventually fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Test Runs

Unfortunately, the sun didn't come out for another week. Stephen was hoping each day that the sun would shine. But when Stephen woke up one day, he looked outside and saw that the sun was rising over the horizon, and the wet ground was now dry.

"Finally, time for my test runs" said Stephen. A few hours later, George and Robert arrived. "Ready for your test run Stephen" asked Robert. "Yes I am. I really want to run on my own" said Stephen. Not once in the past week had he moved from his small corner of the workshop.

Stephen waited patiently as the George and Robert lit his firebox, and the workmen filled his tank and filled his tender with coal. Soon, Stephen's fire was roaring, and steam was wheezing out of his pistons and funnel.

"Alright, you're all ready" said Robert. "Then let's go" said Stephen. He was bursting with excitement. "Alright, here we go" said Robert. He began turning nobs and pulling levers.

Stephen groaned and weeshed, and then his pistons began to turn. "I'm moving I'm moving" said Stephen happily. He rolled out of the shop, and down the line towards a practice line.

The line was a loop of track near the shop. Stephen also saw that there was what looked like two pieces of track stuck together. "What's that" asked Stephen.

"That's a switch. It lets an engine switch onto another line. That tracks leads to another test track. Unfortunately the ground it was on sank when we were finished, so now it's a straight slop down" said Robert.

"But enough about that, time to put you through your paces Stephen" said George. So Stephen began to puff down the line to start his tests.

That evening, Stephen was still out on the test track. He had go forwards, backwards, and even ran over the points. He had hoped he could go down the line, but he was soon reversed back.

Soon Stephen was on his last run. All he had to do was run around the test track one more time. "Ready for the last run of the day Stephen" asked Robert. "Yes I am" said Stephen.

So Stephen puffed around the track. But what Stephen, Robert, and George didn't know was that one of the workmen nearby had been walking along the track. But then he tripped and had grabbed onto the lever that threw the points. He didn't realize that the points were set, so he got up and continued to walk along the track.

Soon Stephen had run the track one last time. "Whoa, I like running on my own. But after today, I'm going to enjoy sitting still in my corner for a while" said Stephen as Robert and George stepped down from the controls. "Well you performed excellently today Stephen. You deserve a break" said George. But when Robert and George looked away, Stephen began to roll forwards.

"Wait, I thought I was done for the day" said Stephen as he rolled away. "You are Stephen" said Robert as he turned around, but when he did, he saw Stephen rolling away down the track. "What" he said surprised.

George looked around and saw Stephen rolling away. "Oh no, I forgot to put on his brakes" he said surprisingly. "Don't worry" said Robert "the track is in a big loop. Either he'll slow down or roll around the track back to us".

But then, they saw Stephen switch off the test track and onto the dangerous line. "What, who set the points" called Robert as he began to run after Stephen. One of the workmen quickly walked away.

Stephen wondered what he was doing on this track. "Is this my reward for working hard today" he asked. But no one answered him.

"Quick, get the pump wagon" called George. The workmen quickly went inside, and soon the pump wagon rolled over to the two. George and Robert climbed on, and then they raced off after Stephen.

Stephen was approaching the sloped part of the line. "Oh boy, this is going to be fun" he said happily. But as he began to roll down the slope, he saw that ahead of the bottom was some bent track. "Uh, maybe I should stop now" called Stephen. But with no driver or fireman, his brakes couldn't be applied. "Oh no, help" called Stephen.

But George and Robert were getting closer to Stephen. George was helping the workmen pump the wagon, while Robert stood on the front. "Just get me close enough so I can jump on. Then I can apply the brakes" he said to the men.

Soon they reached the slope. The combined pumping and gravity helped them shoot down the slope. They were very close to Stephen. "Don't worry Stephen, were here to help" called Robert.

Stephen smiled "Thank you sir, but I think I'll be happier when I finally stop" he called back. The car was now very close to Stephen. "Jump Robert" called George. Robert hesitated for a moment, then lept from the wagon and landed on Stephen's tender. "Good Show Boy" called George.

Robert quickly ran to the controls and applied the brakes. Stephen's wheels screeched and sparks flew. They were getting closer to the bent track. But soon they stopped just before they could hit it. "FFFFEEEEWWWW" said Stephen taking a deep breath. "That was too close" said Robert as he reversed Stephen back up the slope.

Soon Stephen was back in his small corner in the workshop. Some workmen were looking over him; making shure none of his parts were damaged. "I'm sorry I forgot to apply your brakes Stephen" said George, who was in front of him. "It's alright sir, I'm still here, so it's okay" said Stephen. After the workman had replaced a few rivets and cleaned his wheels, Stephen saw that the workshop was starting to get quiet. He also saw that the sun was setting over the horizon. "Well that's it for today Stephen. We'll be doing more tests later on. But soon you'll be ready for the competition at Rainhill" said Robert. "Can't wait sir" said Stephen.

That night, Stephen kept thinking about Rainhill. "It's then that I show the world not only are steam engines amazing, but I show them my speed is unsurpassable". And soon, he drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Competition**

Stephen was shooting down the track, with wind wiping his face. He was now flying by his competition, leaving them in the dust.  
"I knew it" he said happily "I'm the faster". But then, Stephen started to go over some bumpy track. "Whoa, too bumpy" he said shakily. But then, he hit a big bump, and flew off the track. He landed on his side, and saw that the other engines where puffing away from him, laughing. "Oh no, I've crashed" he said sadly.

Then Robert walked up; he looked upset. "I knew you wouldn't win the contest. You're worthless, completely of no use to us. I guess we can still cut you up for parts" he said sadly, and then he turned and walked away.

"Wait, sir, I know I can still be useful. Please give me another chance" cried Stephen. But Robert kept on walking. "Please sir, just one more chance. Please, Please, PLEASE" cried Stephen.

Stephen's eyes flew open with a jolt. He was panting heavily, and he was completely shocked. He looked around to see where he was. Small houses and a few shops were all along the street he was on. There was still one light in the room of the hotel where Robert and George were staying. Then, he started to remember.

He remembered being loaded onto a trailer attached to four horses, being tied down, and beginning his trip to Rainhill. He looked at himself from the front and behind. His tender was still attached, but it didn't have any water or coal in it. His funnel wasn't attached; this was in case he had to go under bridges. He was still in one piece, and still upright.

"Oh, it was just a dream. A very, very bad dream" he said silently. Stephen had been having dreams like this ever since he had first set out to Rainhill. The fear of losing or letting Robert and George down was starting to get to him.

"I just need to go back to sleep and try to get enough rest" he said silently. So he closed his eyes and slowly began to fall asleep.

The next day, Stephen was once again on his way to Rainhill. The road that they were taking was very bumpy. In fact, all the roads were bumpy. It was because of this that people where pushing for railways to become more advanced. If railways became the preferred mode of travel, then passengers would be able to enjoy a smooth ride.

As Stephen thought about the competition ahead, he heard a voice from behind him. "Bad dream last night" asked the voice.

Stephen looked back, and there sitting on his tender was Robert. "How did you" began Stephen. Robert chuckled "I heard you muttering in you sleep". And then he said softly that only Stephen could hear him. "Oh no, please sir, give me another chance, please" he said with a slight smile. "Oh, you heard that" said Stephen, a little embarrassed.

"Yep, and you were screaming at one point to. Nearly woke dad up" said Robert. Now Stephen was even more embarrassed. Even though he couldn't see Stephen's face, Robert knew what he was thinking. "It's alright Stephen, your just nervous. You have a lot on your shoulder. But you are the panicle of modern engineering. No matter what you're facing, you will be able to fly by them all" he said with a warm smile. Stephen also gave a small smile. "Thank you sir, I know you're right" he said happily. So Stephen looked at the road ahead, ready for anything that came his way.

**One Week Later**

Stephen was full of both excitement and nerves when his trip to Rainhill was complete. As he passed the sign saying "Rainhill", he couldn't help but look around. There were shops and houses and much more. Stephen wished he had more eyes, so he could see everything around him.

But while he was looking at all the buildings of the town, the people of the town where looking at him. Whenever he passed a group of people, they would stop and look at him. Some just looked at him, others were whispering. As he passed a group of teenagers, one said "What is that thing. Is it what they said was going to be in the competition"; he sounded interested.

Soon Stephen had left the major part of the town, and was now in a smaller area, where there weren't many houses. It was then, that Stephen was a small rail yard close by. It had many tracks and a shed that could accommodate ten engines. "So this is where it's all happening" said Stephen excitedly.

Soon the flatbed that Stephen was on was arranged so that the tracks on the flatbed would meet a ramp that Stephen would roll down onto the rails. Robert had already reattached Stephen's funnel, and was now helping to get Stephen off the flatbed. He and a few workmen where pushing from the front, while some others where in charge of the back.

"On the count of three. One, two, THREE" screamed Robert. He and the workmen pushed and pulled. Stephen slowly began to roll back towards the ramp. Soon, his tender was on the ramp, and now the workmen were making shure he didn't slide down too fast. "Don't worry Stephen, you'll be on rails in no time" said Robert.

And not a few moments after he said this, all of Stephen's wheels were off the ramp. "Few, done" said a workmen sitting down on the ramp. "Not yet" said Robert "we need to push Stephen to the sheds". The workman gave a small groan as he got back up to resume his position.

The workmen and Robert soon had pushed Stephen to the sheds. But because Stephen was facing away from it, he couldn't see the engines in there currently. However, Robert could. However, Stephen saw him grinning "what is it sir" he asked. "Those engines don't look like they could last five minutes on a real railway" he said smiling. Stephen couldn't wait to see the engines, and he didn't have to wait long.

Soon Stephen was inside the shed in his own spot. "Well that's it. We have to go check into our hotel. Have a good time" said Robert to Stephen, and then he and the workmen walked away.

After they left, Stephen looked around the shed. And there, two his left, he saw two other steam engines. They both looked very different from Stephen. One was bronze colored, had four wheels, but no pistons. He also had a coal holder at his back, and an L shaped pipe behind it. Stephen could only guess that was his funnel.

The other engine looked a little like Stephen though. He was green and had four wheels. He had pistons to, but his were vertical. A connecting rod was attached to both wheels so they could all be powered. Strangely, his funnel was at the back of his boiler. He also had a tender similar to Stephens.

Right now they were talking; they didn't even notice he was there. So Stephen decided to introduce himself.

"Hello there" he said with a smile. The two engines stopped talking and looked at Stephen. "Oh hello there, who are you" asked the green engine. "I'm Stephen, I'm here to participate in the competition" he said happily.

"Well of course, we all are" said the bronze engine snootily. Stephen felt a little hurt, but he let it slide. "So, what are your names" he asked with a smile. "I'm Sans Pareil" said the green engine smiling "but you can just call me Pareil, everyone does".

The bronze engine gave a snooty look and said "My name is Novelty. And I am the engine that is going to win the competition" he said with a weird smile.

Stephen was confused "how are you so shure. I or Pareil could win it". Novelty laughed "what, you win the competition. Don't bother saying it. You can't win, you don't show it. You look so strange, and bulgy. Pareil is somewhat presentable, but then you have to look at me. I'm all shiny and sleek. No pistons here, and I don't have a large funnel, unlike some engines" he said looking at Pareil and Stephen.

Now Stephen was very cross. "Well you'll just have to wait. The trials aren't until next week, and there are still seven more engines to arrive. Any one of them could beat you, or it could be one of us" he said sternly.

"He's right, don't count your chickens before they hatch" said Pareil. Novelty just snorted, and decided to get some sleep.

While he did, Stephen and Pareil began talking. They were both wondering about the other engines that were going to arrive.


End file.
